Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

First Edition: May 9, 2018

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.

Kaiser Health News:
When Credit Scores Become Casualties Of Health Care
After a devastating horse-riding accident in January 2017 landed him in the hospital for about 30 days, requiring trauma care and hospital-based therapy, Jeff Woodard considered himself lucky. The bills amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars. But Woodard’s employer-sponsored health insurance limited his out-of-pocket maximum payment to $5,000. He reached that “within like a day,” he recalled. His retired parents relocated from their small town in Massachusetts to help Woodard, now 27, who lives just outside of Denver, through his recovery. With their support, and regular outpatient therapy, he returned to working full time in just two months. (Luthra, 5/9)

Kaiser Health News:
Hoping To See Your Doctor Via Telemedicine? Here’s A Quick Guide.
Tucked into the federal budget law Congress passed in February was a provision that significantly expands the use of telemedicine — long a hyped health care reform, and now poised to go mainstream within five to 10 years. “There’s much broader recognition of the benefits,” said Mei Wa Kwong, executive director of the Center for Connected Health Policy, a research group that promotes telemedicine in Sacramento, Calif. “The law is the latest to make telemedicine more accessible. But we still have a ways to go before most consumers are aware of the option.” (Findlay, 5/9)

Kaiser Health News:
4 Takeaways From Trump’s Plan To Rescind CHIP Funding
President Donald Trump wants to employ a rarely used budget maneuver called “rescission” to eliminate $15 billion in federal spending, including $7 billion from the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Administration officials insist the cuts wouldn’t negatively affect any programs — rather, they would merely return money into the Treasury that Congress appropriated but is no longer needed. ... But child health advocates are wary, particularly since the proposal comes a few months after Congress let funding authorization for CHIP lapse, which forced states to request millions in emergency contingency funds to keep children covered. (Galewitz, 5/8)

The Wall Street Journal:
Congress Leery Of Trump’s Cuts To Children’s Health Program
President Donald Trump’s proposal to roll back $7 billion from the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program drew immediate bipartisan concern Tuesday, an indication of the hurdles the effort to cut federal spending will face in the Senate. The proposed cuts to the children’s health program quickly emerged as the most contentious element of Mr. Trump’s request that Congress rescind about $15 billion in funds that had been previously authorized but not spent. “It is a red flag with me,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R., W.Va.) said of the proposed CHIP cuts, noting she was reviewing the proposal. “I’ve been a big proponent of CHIP from the beginning. It’s vital to our state.” (Peterson, 5/8)

The Associated Press:
CDC Boss Gets $165,300 Pay Cut From Record-Setting Salary
The new head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has gotten a big salary reduction. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday that Dr. Robert Redfield Jr.'s new salary will be $209,700, down from $375,000. The previous figure was at least $150,000 more than any previous CDC director had received. (5/8)

The Washington Post:
CDC Director’s Salary Now Set At $209,700 Instead Of $375,000
“Dr. Redfield did not want his compensation to become a distraction from the important work of the CDC and asked that his salary be reduced,” said Caitlin Oakley, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the CDC. “Dr. Redfield is being paid in accordance with the formula used to pay the prior three CDC directors. Using that formula, his compensation for this year will be $209,700.” (Sun, 5/8)

The New York Times:
C.D.C. Director’s Salary Is Reduced To $209,700 From $375,000
The unusually high rate was granted under a provision known as Title 42, which permits the Department of Health and Human Services (and the Environmental Protection Agency) to pay more than the approved government rate if the candidate fills a specific scientific need that cannot otherwise be met. Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, questioned the use of the exemption in this case, suggesting last month that it might not have been appropriate. She asked the health and human services secretary, Alex M. Azar II, who oversees the C.D.C., to describe the “extensive and exhaustive effort” that was supposed to be made to find a director before hiring Dr. Redfield at the unusually high salary. (Kaplan, 5/8)

The Associated Press:
Drug Supply Firm Execs Say They Didn't Cause Opioids Crisis
Top executives of the nation's leading wholesale drug distributors told Congress under oath Tuesday that their companies didn't help cause the nation's deadly opioid epidemic, drawing bipartisan wrath that included one lawmaker suggesting prison terms for some company officials. The confrontation came at a House subcommittee hearing at which legislators asked why huge numbers of potentially addictive prescription opioid pills had been shipped to West Virginia, among the states hardest hit by the drug crisis. Lawmakers are making an election-year push for legislation aimed at curbing a growing epidemic that saw nearly 64,000 people die last year from drug overdoses, two-thirds from opioids. (Fram, 5/8)

The Washington Post:
Opioid Crisis: Drug Executives Express Regret To Congress On Tuesday, One Says His Company Contributed To The Epidemic
A major distributor of powerful painkillers apologized Tuesday for the company’s role in facilitating the flow of highly addictive painkillers into U.S. communities, the first time a corporation has expressed regret for involvement in the opioid crisis. George Barrett, executive chairman of Cardinal Health, said he is sorry the company did not act faster to impede the shipping of millions of hydrocodone and oxycodone pills to two small pharmacies in West Virginia. The state has the nation’s highest rate of opioid overdose death; the epidemic now claims tens of thousands of lives each year. (Zezima and Higham, 5/8)

The Wall Street Journal:
Opioid Shipments To Small Towns Come Under Spotlight At Hearing
Most company executives told a House hearing that their companies’ actions didn’t fan the opioid epidemic in the state. But some acknowledged the industry shipped too many pills and failed to identify major abuses in overprescribing. “With the benefit of hindsight, I wish we had moved faster and asked a different set of questions. I am deeply sorry we did not,” said George Barrett, executive board chairman of Cardinal Health Inc. Only one executive, Joseph Mastandrea, chairman of Miami-Luken Inc. said that his company had a “shared responsibility” for the opioid crisis.The testimony marked a pivotal juncture in a year-long bipartisan investigation by a House Energy and Commerce oversight panel into alleged pill dumping in West Virginia. (Armour and Burton, 5/8)

The Hill:
Distributor Executive Apologizes For Large Opioid Shipments
From 2007 to 2012, distributors sent more than 780 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills to West Virginia, about half of which came from AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson, according to a memo from the Energy and Commerce Committee’s majority staff. “We have learned much from the investigation but still have many questions,” the subcommittee chairman, Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.), said in his opening statement. (Roubein, 5/8)

Politico:
Opioid Distributors Blame Pharmacies, Docs For Crisis
Lawmakers on Wednesday showed bipartisan interest in trying to force the executives to take responsibility and chastised several of them for not being upfront with details. Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) recounted how one West Virginia town of about 400 people received 9 million opioid pills in two years and how a single pharmacy in a town of 1,800 people got 17 million opioid pills in a decade. Since the 1970s, drug distributors have been responsible for flagging suspicious orders and monitoring sales — something Walden suggested has not been done. (Haberkorn and Ehley, 5/8)

The Wall Street Journal:
California Counties Jump Into Opioid Litigation
As lawsuits over the opioid crisis have spread nationwide, the country’s most populous state has largely stayed on the sidelines. Now, 30 counties in California are jumping in, seeking recovery for alleged taxpayer losses from the major makers and distributors of opioid painkillers. The counties, largely centered in the rural northern and central regions of the state, are each filing lawsuits in federal court. The actions will likely be sent to a federal judge in Ohio, who is overseeing hundreds of opioid lawsuits filed across the country. (Randazzo, 5/8)

The Hill:
Schumer: Dems Will Be 'Relentless' In Attacking GOP For Premium Hikes
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that Democrats are going to be “relentless” in attacking Republicans for looming ObamaCare premium hikes as Democrats seek to harness the issue for the midterm elections. Schumer pointed to proposals that have been released in recent days showing double-digit premium increases for next year, with insurers citing the GOP repeal of ObamaCare’s individual mandate among the factors driving up premiums. (Sullivan, 5/8)

The Hill:
GOP Chairman In Talks With Trump Officials On More ObamaCare Actions
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) wrote in a recent letter that bipartisan efforts to fix ObamaCare have failed and he is now turning to focus on additional actions the Trump administration can take on its own regarding the health-care law. Alexander worked for months with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) on a bipartisan effort to provide funding to bring down ObamaCare premiums, but the effort fell apart in March. Alexander, in a letter to supporters sent Monday and obtained by The Hill, said he does not see any path forward for bipartisanship on the issue. (Sullivan, 5/8)

The Associated Press:
House Panel OKs Plan To Grow VA Private Care, A Trump Pledge
A House committee approved a wide-ranging plan Tuesday to give veterans more freedom to see doctors outside the Veterans Affairs health system and fix a budget crisis in its troubled Choice private-sector program, a major step toward fulfilling President Donald Trump's promise to expand private care options. The $51 billion plan includes $5.2 billion to avert a catastrophic shutdown of Choice. The program is slated to run out of money as early as May 31, causing disruptions in medical care to tens of thousands of patients. (Yen, 5/8)

The Hill:
House Panel Advances Major VA Reform Bill
The legislation, called the VA Mission Act, advanced through the House Veterans' Affairs Committee by a 20-2 vote, a key first step to get the bill to President Trump for a signature before the end of the month. The bill would expand the number of veterans who are eligible to see private sector health specialists, as well as entitle veterans enrolled in the VA system to see a private doctor twice a year without a copay. (Weixel, 5/8)

Politico:
Trump’s 'America First' Agenda On Drug Pricing Could Backfire Around The World
President Donald Trump wants Americans to get lower prices for medicines — and the rest of the world may pay for it. His "America First" message on drugs at home, coupled with pro-pharmaceutical industry policies abroad, could lead to higher costs for patients around the world — without making drugs more affordable for those in the U.S. Trump on Friday plans to deliver his long-promised speech on how to lower drug costs, addressing an industry he has in the past accused of "getting away with murder." (Karlin-Smith and Wheaton, 5/9)

CNN Money:
Just Who Gets Those Big Drug Price Rebates?
Prescription drug manufacturers dole out billions of dollars in rebates every year, but these savings don't usually trickle down directly to consumers. That may change if the Trump administration has its way. Officials are looking to require insurers to pass at least part of these concessions along to Medicare beneficiaries, which could prompt changes in the broader insurance market as well. Drug rebates have become an essential, but opaque part of the pharmaceutical industry. However, they are now in the spotlight as the Trump administration seeks ways to lower drug prices. President Donald Trump is expected to give a speech this week on drug prices, with rebates playing a central role. (Luhby, 5/7)

The New York Times:
Valeant, Distancing Itself From Its Past, Will Change Its Name To Bausch Health
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, the company whose enormous price increases on old drugs helped fuel public outrage over high drug costs, is changing its name, the company announced Tuesday. The new name will be Bausch Health Companies, to reflect the company’s better-known and more respected subsidiary, the eye care company Bausch + Lomb, which it acquired in 2013. The company announced the change, which will take effect in July, as part of its first-quarter earnings. (Thomas, 5/8)

The Associated Press:
Valeant, A New Business Model And Now, A New Name
CEO Joseph Papa said in a prepared statement that the name change is "a major step forward" in the company's transformation. Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. fell into the crosshairs of Washington a couple years ago after an extended acquisition spree of other companies, followed by triple-digit price hikes on critical heart drugs and other medicines. (5/8)

Bloomberg:
The U.S. Is Facing An EpiPen Shortage
Adults and children with severe allergies are experiencing problems finding EpiPens after issues with manufacturing of the lifesaving devices, according to patients and pharmacists. More than 400 patients in 45 states have reported difficulty filling prescriptions for Mylan NV’s allergy devices and other auto-injectors containing the active ingredient epinephrine since May 2, James Baker, chief executive officer of patient-advocacy group Food Allergy Research & Education, said in an interview. (Edney, 5/8)

Stat:
Novartis Paid Shell Company Controlled By Trump's Attorney
In an unexpected twist, Novartis has gotten caught up in the messy investigation into Michael Cohen, President Trump’s personal attorney. The drug maker apparently entered into a previously undisclosed agreement with Essential Consultants, which is reportedly a shell company that Cohen used to make payments for various matters. (Silverman, 5/8)

The Associated Press:
US Panel Leaves Prostate Screening Up To Men, Their Doctors
Whether to get screened for prostate cancer is a question that men aged 55 to 69 should decide themselves in consultation with their doctors, according to finalized guidance issued Tuesday by an influential panel of health care experts. New evidence suggests that PSA blood tests can slightly reduce the chances of dying from the disease for some men, so those decisions may be a little easier. Though screening can sometimes lead to drastic, needless treatment, the panel says that can sometimes be avoided with close monitoring when cancer is detected. (5/8)

Los Angeles Times:
Experts Have New Advice On Prostate Cancer Screening. Here's Why They Put It Back On The Table
For men 70 and older, the task force stuck with an earlier recommendation against routine prostate cancer screening. The new guidance for men in late middle age is an unusual reversal of advice the panel offered in 2012. At that time, the task force suggested that for most men at any age, getting screened for prostate cancer just wasn't worth the risks — including anxiety, infection, erectile dysfunction and incontinence — of the unnecessary treatment that too often came with it. (Healy, 5/8)

Stat:
Can Precision Medicine Do For Depression What It's Done For Cancer?
The idea of precision medicine for depression is quickly gaining ground — just last month, Stanford announced it is establishing a Center for Precision Mental Health and Wellness. And depression is one of many diseases targeted by All of Us, the National Institute of Health campaign launched this month to collect DNA and other data from 1 million Americans. Doctors have been treating cancer patients this way for years, but the underlying biology of mental illness is not as well understood. (Thielking, 5/9)

The Associated Press:
Duped Patients Crowdfund For Bogus Medical Care, Study Says
They're the tech-age version of donor jars at the diner: crowdfunding websites that aim to link ailing people with strangers willing to help pay for medical treatment. But new research suggests duped patients sometimes crowdfund to pay for bogus stem cell treatments. A study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association focused on for-profit clinics that use direct-to-consumer advertising for costly unproven stem-cell treatments for conditions including chronic lung disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and arthritis. Treatments are often marketed as cures or with a promise for vastly improved health. (Tanner, 5/8)

NPR:
Video Game Processors And Artificial Intelligence Take Scientists Inside Living Cells
A new application of artificial intelligence could help researchers solve medical mysteries ranging from cancer to Alzheimer's. It's a 3D model of a living human cell that lets scientists study the interior structures of a cell even when they can only see the exterior and the nucleus — the largest structure in a cell. The model was unveiled to the public Wednesday by the Allen Institute for Cell Science in Seattle. (Hamilton, 5/9)

The New York Times:
Do Fathers Who Exercise Have Smarter Babies?
Exercise changes the brains and sperm of male animals in ways that later affect the brains and thinking skills of their offspring, according to a fascinating new study involving mice. The findings indicate that some of the brain benefits of physical activity may be passed along to children, even if a father does not begin to exercise until adulthood. (Reynolds, 5/9)

The Wall Street Journal:
Tiger Woods Takes Ibuprofen To Prevent Back Pain. Should You?
It was as casual as pulling out a driver. As Tiger Woods stood in the 10th tee box on the first day of the Masters, he removed a white bottle from his bag, poured two white pills into his hand and swallowed them. “It’s called ibuprofen,” Woods explained afterward. “My surgeon says to take it all day.” The mid-round medication has become a form of preventive maintenance for Woods, who has said he is feeling better lately than he has in several years. And for him, after four back surgeries, it appears to be working. His comeback continues in this week’s Players Championship. (Costa, 5/8)

The Washington Post:
Woman With A Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak — Not Allergies — Has Surgery At Nebraska Medicine
For years, Kendra Jackson battled an incessantly runny nose — sniffling and sneezing, blowing and losing sleep each night. Jackson said she initially thought she was getting a cold, then, as her symptoms persisted, doctors suggested it was likely seasonal allergies, putting her among the more than 50 million Americans who struggle with them each year. But the symptoms never cleared up, and, as the years went by, Jackson started to worry that it might be something worse. (Bever, 5/8)

Los Angeles Times:
'We Are Humans Too': Voices Of UCLA's Striking Custodians, Hospital Aides And Imaging Technicians
This week, thousands of UC employees are staging a three-day strike for better pay and working conditions. On Monday, more than 20,000 custodians, cooks, lab technicians, nurse aides and other members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 walked off their jobs. By Tuesday, two more unions joined in sympathy strikes. The union and UC reached a bargaining impasse last year. The university has said it won’t meet the workers’ demands. (Resmovits, 5/8)

Los Angeles Times:
UC Labor Strike Expands With Show Of Support From More Unions
Fong Chuu is a registered nurse who has assisted with countless liver transplants, kidney surgeries and gastric bypasses during 34 years at UCLA. Working with her are scrub technicians who sterilize equipment, hand medical instruments to the surgeon and dress patient wounds. They are a team, Chuu says, which is why she walked off her job Tuesday in support of those technicians and other members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299. The 25,000 member AFSCME local, the University of California's largest employee union, launched a three-day strike Monday. (Watanabe, 5/8)

The Associated Press:
Bill On Guns And Mental Health Stalls In Colorado Capitol
Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock begged state lawmakers to pass legislation making it easier to confiscate firearms from someone considered a danger to themselves or others. People, he said, like the man who shot and killed a young sheriff's deputy in suburban Denver on New Year's Eve. A week later, Republicans in the state Senate refused to send the bill to a floor vote, unconvinced by the prominent GOP district attorneys and sheriffs who argued that it would protect officers dealing with people in the midst of mental health crises. (5/8)

The Washington Post:
Company Sold $25,000 ‘Service Dogs’ That Were Really Just Untrained Puppies, Virginia Says
Customers turned to Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers for a potentially lifesaving tool: highly trained dogs that would alert them, with the nudge of a nose or paw, to spikes or dips in blood sugar. What they got, the state of Virginia alleged on Tuesday, were “little more than incredibly expensive pets.” A lawsuit, filed by Attorney General Mark R. Herring in the Madison County Circuit Court, accuses the company of violating the state’s Consumer Protection Act by charging $18,000 to $27,000 for 3-month-old Labrador retriever puppies that were unable to perform their task or even to walk properly on leashes, respond when called, or remain calm around loud noises or new people. Customers were told that they would receive ample “scent training” support; instead, their requests for assistance were regularly ignored, the suit says. (Brulliard, 5/8)

This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.